Disclaimer: All I want for Christmas is to own Zelda! I won't ask for anything else, I promise! Okay, fine, I'll take the Link action figure.

Author's Note: Hello peoples! Sorry this took a while to get up, I was having a minor brain fart on a part. But I have Ldbrenes to thank for a fabulous idea. I would like to dedicate this chapter to her. If anyone has any ideas and you recommend them to me and I put them into a chapter or into a different story, I shall dedicate something to you. I'm going to start that now. Thanks again, Cynthia. :)


Ch. 1 – Formed in Twilight

Deep within the Twilight Abyss, drifting endlessly through shadows, the King of Evil struggled with the remainder of his strength, bringing the shadow particles that drifted around him together.

Ganondorf directed the particles to join a small group of already formed particles the size of a pumpkin, lying on the ground of the small platform.

"Ten years…" Ganondorf growled. "Ten years since that brat took my powers away from me. Ten years since that wretched Twilight Princess put me down here, leaving me for dead."

He knelt down wearily next to the small particle lump. He cupped his large hands around it, focusing the remainder of his power on it. It began to take shape and form into one complete shadow. An evil grin spread across his face.

"Finally, after years, my creation is nearly complete!"

Using one last bit of his power, the shadow began to move on its own. Its form moved slowly up and down as if it were breathing. A dark red aura encircled the shadow. "What would you like me to do for you, Master?" The shadow spoke quietly, but its voice still echoed across the vast abyss. It was tired and still accustoming to being alive.

"You must gain more power." Ganondorf panted as he pointed upwards. "Somewhere up there, you'll reach the Twilight Palace. Once there, look for a gateway and go through it. You will then be in the world of light. That is where you shall find an endless supply of power."

"How shall I obtain this power?"

"How should I know?! Just go and improvise!"

The shadow began to float up, but stopped in mid-ascent. "You are not coming?"

Ganondorf shook his head. "I can't allow anyone to see that I am still alive. Go, and return when you have become stronger."

"Yes, Master." Asking no more questions, the shadow slowly drifted upward, ascending higher and higher until it was out of Ganondorf's sight.

"I have no idea how far I fell, and thanks to that boy, my full power will never fully return." Ganondorf's growl slowly turned into a deep chuckle. He glanced at the back of his right hand and sneered at the triforce of power that glowed faintly upon it. "But I do have enough power to stay alive. I will have my revenge again. Only this time, Link won't be able to stop me."


Lake Hylia remained still, giving an appearance of glass as the afternoon sun's light reflected off of its calm surface. High above and stretching across the vast lake was the Great Bridge of Hylia. Though its stone structure was old, it held strong for anyone who chose to cross it.

Upon the bridge, about fifty bulblins paced restlessly or leaned, growling, against the bridge's side. They were unhappy not because they lost a fight, not because they wanted a fight. They were… hungry.

"I can't take it anymore!" A bulblin by the name of Sprou pounded his head on the hard stone.

"Stop your whining, Sprou! We're all hungry!" Mris, the second in command next to King Bulblin, spat. "You're not the only one suffering!"

Murmurs and stomach growls echoed throughout the large bulblin group.

"Well, if we could actually find some food, I wouldn't complain as much!"

"You know most of the food goes to the Hylians."

"I spit on those wretched Hylians! What I wouldn't give for a nice juicy slice of meat." Sprou froze. Then, with a devilish grin, turned his gaze towards the twenty boars that stood at the north end of the bridge.

"Don't even think about it!" Mris smashed his club into Sprou's skull, sending him flying a few feet back. "We need all the boars we can get to travel! On top of that, only King Bulblin decides if we roast one or not!"

"Mris!"

Mris looked up from the injured Sprou to see a group of three bulblins on the south end of the bridge, dragging a sack that could hold a Goron towards him.

"It's about time you came back!" Mris pushed his way through the crowd to the small returning party. "There had better be food in that bag, or the three of you are going for an afternoon swim!"

"Well, it's not food," the bulblin, Amet, spoke up. He quickly continued when he saw Mris's rage flaring. "But what we caught is better than food. We caught the Princess!"

The surrounding bulblins began to inch back as Mris's eye began to twitch and his body began to shake. He began slowly. "Why… did you… bring me a … Princess?!" He spoke through clenched teeth.

"But we didn't just catch a Princess," Alure moved forward till he stood next to Amet. "We caught the Princess."

Mris's anger began to diminish as Alure's words seemed to echo and linger in the surrounding air. "Princess… Zelda?!"

The small party nodded.

"Throw them in the lake!"

"No, honestly! We caught Zelda!"

Mris crossed his arms. "How in the world could you guys best someone as powerful as her?"

"Quite easily, actually," Zedt, the third bulblin of the party, spoke up. "She didn't put up much of a fight. It was over before we knew it. We lost Deckai, though."

Having completely forgotten he had sent out four to gather food, Mris simply waved his hand dismissively. "Well, Deckai was an idiot."

A murmur of agreement went around the bulblins.

"We believe we could ransom her. Then, the people would be so concerned for their Princess's safety; they'd give us anything we wanted!" Amet stated excitedly.

"We'll have so much food; it'll be pouring out of our ears!" The bulblins burst into cheers, knowing they would never go hungry again.

A low horn bellowed out into the air. The cheers faded as Mris brought the horn down from his mouth. He let out a long breath, then gazed back at the small party. "Before we do anything, show me. Open the bag and prove to me that you really caught Princess Zelda."

"Gladly." Amet and Alure set to work untying the ropes that held the large bag closed.

"Why'd you put her in such a big bag, anyway?"

"It was the only one we had."

They were down to the last knot, when suddenly, the bag burst open, a blur speeding out of it. The bulblins had no time to think as one after another fell to the ground dead; small, yet lethal needles sinking into their hearts.

The large group searched frantically, trying to find this invisible killer. Suddenly, the squealing of boars filled the air. The bulblins quickly turned their gazes to the north end of the bridge and stared in shock.

All twenty of their boars lay dead in a matter of seconds. The only thing left standing among the slaughter, was a man. He wore a blue body suit that covered almost every inch of his body. Scraps of ragged white cloth wrapped their way around his wrists, fingers, and chest, appearing to cover up old battle wounds. The same cloth also wrapped around the top of his head, hiding his hair within it. His face was unknown to the frightened bulblins, for his back was turned towards them.

Mris gave a low threatening growl. "You got a lot of nerve picking a fight with us!" He shouted to the mysterious man.

The man remained still and silent, his back still turned.

"Hey! I'm talking to you! Show some respect or we'll kill you!"

The man slowly began to turn. A bright red symbol of an all-seeing eye rested upon his chest. His mouth remained hidden behind cloth that circled around his neck. Golden blonde hair crept out of the cloth that wrapped around his head, partially covering his blood red eyes.

His gaze struck fear within the bulblins. They began to inch back, not wanting, not daring to take on this man.

"It's… It's Shiek!" Sprou shouted. "He has returned to avenge his fallen tribe!"

Mris turned an angry gaze towards Amet, Alure, and Zedt, who still stood in shock around the now-empty bag. "I thought you said the Princess was in there?!"

"She… She was!" Amet stammered.

"Her and Shiek must have switched placed without us realizing it!"

"You're all idiots!" Mris had the urge to kill the three bulblins himself. "Shiek is the Princess!"

The bulblins expressions of fear now turned to looks of confusion as they pictured Hyrule's Princess in their minds, then compared it to Shiek.

Mris rubbed his head, so longing to bang it against the hard stone of the bridge. "If you can capture him, I'll prove it to you."

Feeling uneasy having to fight Shiek, of all people, they accepted and turned to attack. But Shiek was no longer at the north end.

The bulblins stayed still, listening for a sound. A sudden light breeze passed by.

"He's in the air! Fire at will!"

Arrows covered the sky and rained down into the lake as the bulblins fired blindly into the air, hoping that one of the arrows might hit their target.

More bulblins fell as the arrows appeared to be missing Shiek, as needles began to rain down on them from the sky.

"Keep firing!" Mris shouted as he readied an arrow. He pointed it to the sky, watching where the big groups of needles fell. He was ready to fire, when one of the surrounding bulblins slammed into him. He let the arrow go as he fell to the ground. "Clumsy fool!" He went to push off the bulblin, but not before he heard a gasp of pain and then a thud as something fell onto the bridge.

"Great shot, Mris!"

Mris quickly scrambled to his feet and hurried over to where the bulblins were gathering. He pushed his way through till he reached the center of the crowd. A devilish smile crossed his face as he saw what was there.

Lying on the ground in a mangled heap with an arrow sinking into his back, was Shiek.

"Not so tough now, are you?" Mris snickered as he listened to Shiek's weak attempts at breathing as he struggled to move.

Mris approached Shiek. He reached down and wrapped his large hand around his small wrist. "Behold! These are not the hands of a man!" He let his arm fall as he moved his way to his head. He reached into the back of the cloth that encircled his neck and pulled out a long golden braid.

The surrounding bulblins stared in awe as Mris showed them the proof they were looking for.

"And look! His eyes! Though they are stained with the color of blood, these eyes are to gentle to belong to a killer!"

"Let's kill her now!" The bulblins cheered.

"No!"

The bulblins turned and stared in shock at the sudden outburst of a bulblin in the crowd.

"Developed some feelings for this wretch, Sprou? You're a traitor!"

"I didn't mean don't kill her. Like I could ever have feelings for one of their kind." Sprou spat at Zelda before he continued. "I think we should make her suffer! Beat her, then kill her in front of her own people!"

Mris sneered as he nodded in Sprou's direction. "I like your thinking, Sprou. But why wait for her people to watch? Let's start now!"

Using clubs, arrow heads, fists, and feet, the bulblins began to completely decapitate the defenseless Princess. She could not even scream as she felt her bones being crushed, her clothing being ripped, and her skin being pierced by their weapons and bodies. Her body grew numb as the world around her began to fade.

Mris grabbed Zelda's braid and lifted the top half of her limp body off of the stone bridge. "Shall I deliver the final blow?" He sneered as he held an arrow head to her heart.

The bulblins cheered loudly, having waited a long time for the destruction of Hyrule's Princess.

"Good bye, Zelda, Princess of Hyrule. And good bye, Shiek, lone survivor of the Shiekah Tribe!"

As Zelda watched her death approach, she allowed her eyes to close. Her mind and heart focused on one last thought.

Link…

Suddenly, Zelda felt her head slam to the ground, Mris's grip loosening on her braid.

Mris gave an agonizing shriek as he clawed at an arrow that was going through his neck. He fell to the ground, dying slowly from lack of air.

Another shriek pierced the air as another bulblin fell to the ground with an arrow through his neck as well.

The large group searched frantically for a new invisible foe.

"Now, that's not very fair ganging up on someone like that, is it?"

The bulblins turned their gazed to the south end of the bridge, wanting to see who the voice belonged to. Sure enough, standing on top of the entrance to the bridge, was a man. He wore a forest green tunic. His dirty blonde hair swayed in the wind under his long hat. His feral blue eyes showed an inner beast, ready to come out and attack.

"It's Link! Fire at will!"

The remaining bulblins readied and fired a barrage of arrows at the Chosen Hero.

As the deadly wave of arrows came, Link back flipped off of the ledge he was standing on. The Master Sword glistened in the sun as he removed it from its sheath. Arrows fell to the ground as his shield deflected them, leaving him unharmed.

He planted his feet firmly on the bridge as he landed in the midst of the surviving group of bulblins. Link immediately began to hack away at them, picking them off one by one, desperately trying to reach Zelda.

Sprou rushed over and took hold of Zelda's legs. "We can't stop him! Quick! Help me!"

The few bulblins close to Sprou rushed over, took hold of a part of Zelda's mangled body, and lifted her up.

Link watched in horror as the small group of bulblins tossed Zelda's limp body over the side of the bridge.

"No!" Link finished off the bulblin in front of him, sheathed the Master Sword, then leapt off the bridge after Zelda.

"Ha!" Sprou panted as he struggled to look over the edge of the bridge. "Now they are both gone! Our troubles are over!"

"Wait a minute, Sprou." One of the bulblins tried to quiet the cheers of the survivors. "Do you hear that?"

The bulblins listened. A faint hissing noise was heard close by. They scanned the area, curious as to the source of this strange sound.

Sprou looked down at his feet. His eyes grew wide. Rolling at his feet, was a bomb. The fuse had about a centimeter left to go.

"Uh, oh!"

____

The sound of an explosion went off behind him as Link quickly descended towards the lake.

He rapidly put on his Zora fins and breathing mask, not worrying about the rest of his Zora tunic as he watched Zelda's body disappear beneath the water. He then brought his arms forward and tucked his chin close to his chest as he broke through the surface of the glass lake.

As soon as he was completely under the water, he began to swim, scanning every inch of the lake for Zelda. He was thankful for the bright afternoon sun, for it lit up the entire underwater world.

He soon saw a dark blue shadow sinking slowly towards the bottom of Lake Hylia. He saw as quickly as he could over to her. As soon as he reached her, he wrapped his right arm around her waist, and began to swim, with the help of his left arm, back up to the surface.

Though he was swimming very fast, Link felt like he was moving at a turtle's pace. It seemed no matter how fast he moved, it wasn't fast enough to save her.

Once he broke the surface, he made sure to keep Zelda's head clear above the water as he backstroked towards shore, making sure he was heading in the direction of Lanayru's Spirit Spring.

With long, fast strokes, Link managed to reach the Spring's stone steps in a matter of seconds. He lifted Zelda up as quickly and as gently as he could until he was sure she was out of the water. He quickly rose himself out of the water, gently picked up Zelda's mangled body, and ran into the Spirit Spring.

Link ran in and jumped off of the small ledge into the healing waters of the Spring. He held her close as the drifted under the water together.

'Don't die, Zelda.' Link thought over and over as he watched and waited for a miracle. 'Don't you die on me.'

Sure enough, Link began to see Zelda's wounds healing. New skin overlapped the dead, ceasing her constant bleeding. He could feel the crushed and broken bones in her arms and ribs begin to form together into strong solid bones again. He quickly took out the arrow lodged in her back so that the healing waters would be able to get inside and heal that wound as well.

As soon as every would closed up, as soon as every bone was fixed, Zelda's eyes shot open. Bubbles escaped from her mouth as she searched for the air that wasn't there. Link quickly swam her up to the surface.

Zelda breathed in deeply as Link swam to the edge of the Spring. Though she was healed, she remained limp in Link's strong arms.

Link gently placed her onto the soft grass, then followed up after her. He took her and propped her in his lap, cradling her head in his right hand. He then took his left hand and removed the cloth encircling her neck, allowing her to breath in more easily.

"Link…" Zelda smiled up at him. She spoke quietly, her eyes half open, exhaustion written clearly on her face. "I haven't seen you for a while."

Link let out a sigh of relief, he had been able to save her in time. He smiled back at her. "Well, you know. Still helping Hyrule recover from near eternal darkness."

Zelda nodded slowly. She noticed sadness filled Link's eyes. She brought her hand up and placed it on his cheek. "I'm fine now, Link."

Link held her hand, taking in the feeling of her touch, not wanting to know that he had almost lost it forever. "I know, just don't ever scare me like that again. I mean, yes, bulblins are very weak, but when they're in groups, it can be pretty hard to kill them."

"I know. I actually let some bulblins catch me. I was going to transform into Shiek, then wipe out an entire group. I didn't expect the group to consist of fifty plus."

"Well, now you know better." Link sighed again. "I was there this time by luck, but I might not be able to get to you next time."

Zelda nodded again, then looked curiously at Link. "Why were you there?"

"Well, when you see hundreds of arrows raining down from the sky, you know something's wrong." Link joked.

Zelda chuckled. "The real reason?"

"I was actually on my way to see you. There was something I wanted to ask you and…" Link reached into his now-wet leather pouch around his waist," there was something I wanted to give to you."

Before Zelda could ask, she felt something cool touch her skin. It slowly made its way down her left ring finger. Once it had made its descent, she felt Link take her hand and lift it up so she could see.

Her smile grew when she saw a thin ring encircling her finger. A thin ring with two silver leaves on it. The leaves came together and encased a small teardrop crystal that shone like a full moon.

She was brought back from her trance with the ring when she felt Link brush her wet bangs out of her eyes. Her eyes gazed up until they locked with his majestic feral ones.

"Zelda," Link began. No hesitation, no nervousness, no stammering threatened the soft tone in his voice. "Will you take this ring, vowing to stay by my side to the ends of time and becoming a part of my heart for eternity? Zelda, would you marry me?"

A silent tear rolled down Zelda's cheek as more threatened to follow. She never looked away from Link's gaze. "Only if you promise to become part of mine."

A broad smile filled Link's face as he nodded. He inched closer to her face and as he did, he whispered softly into her ear. "I love you, Princess."

She smiled, then whispered into his ear. "I love you, Chosen Hero."

Their lips met as they did so many months before, but this was different than the first. This one was the beginning of a promise that they would share for a lifetime.

______

As Link finished his story, he looked at his eight-year-old daughter.

Her gentle feral blue eyes were wide in amazement. Her long dirty blonde hair layered its way down to the middle of her back.

Every night, Link would come into his daughter's room. He would sit on her bed, she would curl up in his lap, and he would tell her a story. Not just any old fairytale though. These were about his own adventures, real adventures.

"That was amazing!" Stacia smiled broadly, always excited to hear one of her father's stories. "And all of the happened?! All of that was true?!"

"Everything, except the names of the bulblins. I made those up so it would be more entertaining for you." Link brought his finger up and lightly tapped her nose, waiting for the smile he always got from her once he did.

Stacia smiled. "You love mom a lot, don't you?"

Link continued to smile, but his voice gained a more serious tone. "I would die for your mother. And now that you're a part of my heart, I would do the same for you."

"So, you love me…" Stacia stretched her arms out as far as they would go, "this much?"

Link engulfed his daughter in a hug. "It's much wider than that. It's vaster than the sky and the heavens."

Stacia looked out the large window in her room. Though it was dark, she could still see millions of stars. Her eyes grew wide again. "Wow. I hope I can love and be loved by a man, like you love mom."

"The perfect man is out there for you, Stacia. But, of course, if he hurts you, he has to deal with me."

"That wouldn't be much fun for him, would it?" Stacia asked hesitantly.

Link shook his head.

"I'll stand nearby and make sure he doesn't kill the boy."

Link and Stacia looked up towards the oak doors. Zelda walked in and took a seat on the bed next to them.

"I wouldn't kill him," Link smiled innocently. "I would just ruff him up a bit."

Zelda sighed as she shook her head. "Don't worry about your father, Stacia. He's just being protective of his little girl."

Stacia giggled. "I'm not worried. I'm just sorry for the guy who tries to hurt me."

Link and Zelda laughed along with their daughter.

"It's late, Link. She should've been in bed by now."

Link shrugged his shoulders. "It was a long one."

"But it was amazing!" Stacia chimed in. "Can I see it?"

"See what?"

"Your ring!"

Zelda smiled. "Oh, you told her that story." She brought her left hand up. Sure enough, a thin band with two silver leaves encircling a crystal engulfed her ring finger.

Stacia's eyes grew wide for the hundredth time that night. "Wow! It's prettier than I imagined!"

Suddenly, a sharp knock came on the door. A servant with short black hair came in panting. His green eyes held a note of urgency.

"What's wrong?!" Link placed Stacia into Zelda's lap and rushed for the door.

It took a moment for the young servant to catch his breath, so he gestured fro Link to come out into the hall.

Stacia felt the air grow tense. Even Zelda would not look away from the door, waiting to hear what had happened.

A moment later, Link came back into the room. The servant rushed back down the long hallway.

"What is it?" Zelda asked, breaking the silence.

Link sighed. "Urgent news from Telma. Shad went to go research in the Sacred Grove and he hasn't returned yet."

"But, nothing has attacked the Sacred Grove since Zant." Zelda thought aloud.

"I know, but I'm going to go there right now to make sure he's alright." Link approached the bed, giving a small smile to his daughter. "And you, young lady, need to go to bed."

After tucking her in and kissing her good night, Link and Zelda headed for the door.

"Dad?" Link stopped and turned around to face his daughter.

"I want to go on an adventure."

Link sighed and walked back over to her bed. "I told you I would take you with me sometime when you're older."

"I don't mean that. I want a real adventure. A long, epic struggle like you and mom have had."

"Adventures aren't all fun and games." Link couldn't help but smile, seeing a younger him in her eyes. "There's dedication and sacrifice that goes along with it."

Stacia sighed and nodded as she gazed down at her blanket.

Link placed his hand under her chin and lifted her face up till her eyes met his. "Give it time. You'll get your adventure." He planted a kiss on her forehead, patted her leg, and then headed for the door once again.

"Be careful, dad."